Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-02-23


that the applicant was Of good moral character.
That law, however, had been abrogated or super
satisfied, required no other Condition than the
consent OF q majority of the prOperty-OwnerS and
the certificate OF the assessor. Then the question
arose whether when these conditions were full
filled the applicant was entitled to license. Gen.
Henkle said he had received letter from Commits
sloner Webb respecting these questions. MI.
WEBB raises the point as to whether the Commits
Si0nerS are bound to issue a license or not, when
all the requirements OF law had been met. In the
lminary conditions did not entitle the applicant
to a license. He did not believe Mr.. Webb had any
other motive than that OF doing his duty; he did
believe that Mr.. Webb and many others in the
community had not yet been educated up to their
standard. He believed there was popular Opin-
ion that the liquor license could not be suppressed,
but the best that could be done was to regulate it,
He believed that 1t could be suppressed and il he
were legislator he would suppress it. In the
first place he would not tamper with licenses He
would not have the government engaged in any
such nefariOus business. The sentiment Of the
people should be so educated that they will not
tolerate such an iniquity.
THE COMMISSIONERS DISCRETIONARY POWER.
Gen Henkle read the clause of the license law
reading: "And such license shall shall not be is
sued until approved by the board OF District COM
m1ssioners," and maintained that the Commits
sioners at last have the absolute power Of deter
mining whether the license shall issue. MIR. Webb
raised also the question whether If they had dis
erection IL should be used In arbitrary way so
practically TO defeat the law OF license. The CON-
mi mis- Ion ne said may approve or dsapprooe
subject TO review by any court.
STATISTICS AND FACTS"
Mr.. Fl. B., MOulton, the next speaker, had for
his topic statistics and Facts" He first, how
ever, referred to Gen. Henkle's statement about
the dating back of licenses. Gen. Henkle had
maintained that the commissioners had absolute
discretion. Mr.. MoultOn said that discretion
should be used in the interest of good government
and good morals, and the Commissioners should
not issue license TO who had commits ed
an OnenSe. Mr.. MOulton then gave figures regard
ing licenses in the District, from which he CON-
40 Inhabitants, or one to every % adult men or
heads OF families. Besides there were 100 other
places of degradation, or haunts of vice. He had
seen the statistics Of no city that presented such
an array OF machinery for destroying and degrad-
ing the morals Of the community. Allowing five
oI Sg ean there
while on the other hand there were only 125
churches and $50 clergymen to fight against them.
OF the 40 hauntS OF vice, he said, more than a
score have been licensed, and there was no excuse
for 1t. He quoted statistics to show that the ar
rests OF minors for crime in this city had increased
from 2, 71S In 1881 to 675 in 1886 These hauntS
OF vice were being opened here and there, children
were going TO them every day, by tens and tens
One OF the newspapers, he said, had referred to
the snow law or dog law as accounting for so
many arrests. Did you ever. he asked, hear Of
such a thing as arresting a boy for violating the
snow law or dog law? There were, he said, 29l
pool rooms In the District, an increase OF 60 per
cent In the last five years. They asked and de-
manded that the law be enforced. There is no
time, he said for slumbertng; no time to hesitate
as TO the ways and instrumentalities. No man,
he said, can walk the streets the sabbath with
out seeing open violations OF the law.
DIR. SUNDERLAND ON THE COMMISSIONERS.
Rev. Dl:. Byron Sunderland was introduced as
the next speaker, and the topic assigned him was
''The Commissioners" The doctor prefaced his
remarks with reference to the Roman origin Of
the rriumv1rate who, he said, represented the de-
cline OF Roman morals. Some years ago, he said
hat rf0
ment, Congress hit upon this Roman form for the
District. The citizens, he said, were stripped OF
all their rights OF self-gOvernment but the
right OF paying taxes and making many in
effectual complaints. He referred, also, TO the
perpleXity OF the laws Of the district
The only official agent, he said, between Congress
and the people OF the District are the triumytrs
They were invested with very wide discretion
When the present Commissioners were nominated
their names were received with, so far as he knew
general satisfaction. Two years have not elapsed
and these serious charges were made against them
by these earnest women The Commissioners add
init virtually that the allegations made were true
in part; that some of them were slanderOuS and
false; that they took things as they found them
that In many respects they have done no worse
than their predecessors and in some respects bet
ter. These ladies think that on the whole their
Impeachment has been conceded, and that some
ers shall speedily amend their ways OF retire from
the office they are abusing. Many citizens he
said, were puzzled. They did not like to reproach
their rulers or to believe that they should be re-
preached. He referred In this Connection to a
prayer which he said used to be offered by old Ly-
man Beecher: 'Oh Lord. help us not to desp1se
our rulers; and oh Lord. prevent them from acting
so that we can't help It,"
An IMAGINARY INTERVIEW WITH THE PRESIDENT
Reviewing the situation he suggested that the
President might say the Commissioners enter de-
murrer; that they admitted the facts but deny
that there is any cause OF action, on the whole
they had done better than their predecessors He
recounted an imaginary interview with the Presi-
dent TO show what the President might say. The
President he represented In this interview as
ing that he had appointed these Commissioners in
response to the demand for home rule; now IL he
removed them, could he find any better men for
the places: DR.. Sunderland suggested that the
innate recourse you can ask OF the House OF Repre-
sentatfves impeachment" He presumed some
would be glad to scalp the commissioners right
then and there, but after these ladies have done
how much hair have they left Much has been
said through the press pro and con- in relation to
the statistics OF vice in the various cities. One
figures IT out this way and some In that. They did
not however, care so much for figures as the facts
represented He said he had been sorry TO see they
tary OF the Guardian League In referring to his
figures as "dirty." ut Is not" said DR.. Sunder-
land, 1.-The figures that besmirch. IL Is the facts
yERGES AND DOGBERRY.
1t was laughabe, he said, to see how the
champions, Louis Schade and Others sickle for
Tho good name OF n town with one liquor den or a
worse den TO every hundred Inhabitants, more or
less. When he read the paragraphs In the news
papers about the fame OF the city he was reminded
OF the cclloQuy between Verges and DogberrU.
where ferges said, 'Yes thank God, am as
honest as any man living that is an old man and
comparisons are odOrous." They might not he
said. be worse or better than New York or Boston
but II beho0yed them as the capital OF the nation
TO be great deal better than either At the very
best. he said, the Commissioners have q thankless
task. They lived in an atmosphere of COMPLAINT
exposed TO every manner OF solicitation and
chicanery For these reasons he said II there were
any three men in the District who ought to be
anxious for UNFOLDING morals and SURPRISING
They. ought TO have the highest standard of
moral conduct. He could hardly bring himself to
think that they were so far out Of harmony with
the sentiment OF the good people OF this cOpnmu-
nifty as to deliberately shut their eyes to the exis-
tence OF evils which they are sworn to put down
There was one thing OF which they could be GER
tain, this little breeze OF complaint started by
these women Will increase TO gale, the gale will
grow into tempest, and the tempest will become
u cyclone that win spare no one high or low unless
the laws be kept and right and justice are yindi-
Gated.
Mr.. BRADLEY AND THE PRESS.
Mr.. F. NJ. Bradley, who spoke next, had for his
topic "the city press" He first referred, how.
ever, to Gen. Henkle's address, and said the
statement that the Commissioners have the ulti-
mate decision upon licenses WAS worth more to
them than all the defamation they had listened
TO for years. The Attorney General, he said had
some years ago given a similar opinion, but yet
the Commissioners seemed TO doubt whether they
had right or not TO reject applications for
license. He regretted that the Commissioners had
given the benet Of the doubt to the liquor trafilc
nd not to the citizens He was 1lad also In leo m